Prognosis: negligence
The closure of the Caroline Street Clinic in East Baltimore is not just disappointing for the neighborhood it has served for the past two years, but it also signals an irony of the bitterest sort for an institution that has built its reputation on excellence in medicine. Hopkins may have world-class facilities in the hospital and some of the best health care professionals around for the most difficult-to-treat ailments, but when it comes to providing basic care to the neediest in its own backyard, the institution has failed to live up to its billing.